1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods and apparatus for lock and key security.
2. Description of Related Art
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely complicated devices. Today's computers are much more sophisticated than early systems such as the EDVAC. Computer systems typically include a combination of hardware and software components, application programs, operating systems, processors, buses, memory, input/output devices, and so on. As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer higher and higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago.
Computer systems today are incorporated in some manner into many different devices and systems including, for example, televisions, telephones, security devices, global positioning satellite devices, and so on. Computer system technology for lock and key security, that is, security systems in which a lock is engaged and disengaged by a particular key, however, is currently lacking. A typical hardware-based key may be easily replicated for tampering with a lock and typical hardware-based locks are easily picked. Even some computer system based locks, such as those implemented in hotel chains, are capable of being ‘hacked’ or bypassed by one with sufficient knowledge of computer systems.